


Before the collapse of Hope county

by dovahdactyl



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Creepy, Dark, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Rape/Non-con Elements, Slow Build, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-01-23 01:36:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18539632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dovahdactyl/pseuds/dovahdactyl
Summary: This is set shortly after the Seed family moved into Hope county.So the main female the story is you. You live  on a ranch in Holland valley, north west of Fall’s end. Parents live in Henbane. Lives with uncle and aunt to help them on the ranch. The ranch has animals and crops, your job is to feed animals and help clean up while your aunt works on the messy bits and the uncle deals with the crops. As the cult begins to grow and things take a turn for the worst you along with others are at the mercy of the Seed cult.





	1. Strangers

**Author's Note:**

> So I am going to go slow. This is not going to be a romance story sorry. This will probably get dark.

The golden glow of sunrise engulfs the valley, the rooster crows loudly just outside of the bedroom window. You open your eyes to the sound and groggily turn around to face the clock. Your eyes widen as you jump out of the bed, opening the drawers to grab underwear.

“Shit!” You exclaim as you rush to get dressed, open the door and sprint down the stairs, rushing past your aunt.  
“(Name), don’t forget breakfast it’s-” You cut your aunt off when you continue the sentence as if you had heard it a hundred times before.

“The most important meal of the day! I know. But Aunt Sally-” You are cut off by your aunt known as Sally.   
“The chickens can wait a few minutes. There is toast that just popped, have breakfast then do the chores. Your uncle Tom went to see the Rye family about flying lessons.”

You rush to butter your toast and scoff it down as your aunt continues to give you the latest gossip.  
“You hear about that new family in town? They bought the Ranch near the river. Must have cost a fortune! I didn’t get a chance to tell you until now. They seem friendly… Well what I heard anyway. Pastor Jerome said the man… What was his name… Joseph? I think it is Joseph, just joined the church. I think he had his sister with him, can’t for the life of me remember her name. He mentioned he had brothers but I don’t know how many though. I was talking to Joanne on the phone this morning, she was telling me all about how she saw a younger man, a stranger with tattoos on his arms. She of course didn’t get his name, all she remembered was that he was quite cute apparently. Might be one of the brothers. You won’t believe what her cat did last night!”  
Your aunt continued to ramble on telling you the adventures of Milly the cat. You finished your toast and interrupted Sally.

“I am sorry, but I got to do my chores. Uncle Tom said he would pay me an extra twenty if I can get it all done before four this evening. Tell me the rest of the gossip later though okay?”   
You put your boots on and brushed your hair back into a ponytail before darting out of the door and toward the shed where the feed was kept.   
You finally made it to the chickens and began scattering the feed around, almost tripping over as they swarmed you and ran around your feet. Once they were taken care of you checked for eggs and carefully placed any you found in a large wicker basket, placing them on a shelf for your aunt to sort later. Next was the cattle, you had to get a wheelbarrow for their feed of fresh hay. You loaded it into the feeders and emptied the water out of the troughs replacing it with fresh. The next job was not as glamorous. You used a different wheelbarrow and a shovel to collect the cow dung, once collected you had to take it back to the barn and empty it into a pile of cow dung your uncle used to fertilize his crops. It was a dirty job but someone had to do it. Once all that was complete you fed the horses, mucked them out and checked on the sheep. 

You walked up the slight hill, it was eerily silent in the field. You ran up and got through the gate but something was wrong. The sheep were all huddled in the corner of the field, as you walked over you spotted the problem. There was a bloody stain on the grass, there was no body just a blood trail going towards the woods. You began following the trail and stopped when you saw the fence, it was broken and the wood had fur stuck to it. Upon closer inspection you could tell the fur was from some kind of deer. Relief washed over you when you realised an animal hadn’t tried to kill your livestock but this meant more work for you now. You herded the sheep out of that field and locked them into another empty field. 

You got back into the house to see your aunt kneading some dough in the kitchen. You washed your hands and approached her ready to tell her what you saw.  
“Hey Aunt Sally, I got to go to town, looks like we had a stampede of deer or something crash through our fence, I put the sheep in the East field. You okay with me taking the truck and about fifty dollars for supplies?” You asked.

“Oh deer!” She chuckled before nodding. You rolled your eyes at her joke as you grabbed the pickup truck’s key from the hook.   
She called out as you got to the door. “I am making the new family a pie, when it is done and cooled will you please take it to them?”   
You wanted to tell her “no”. You were shy at the best of times so a new family? Not what you wanted to do but it was your aunt’s way of making you more social. You reluctantly agreed to do it and left for the town. When you reached Fall’s end you saw pastor Jerome speaking to a young woman you had never seen before, next to her was a man with yellow tinted aviation glasses. You pulled up next to the hardware store and locked up. You entered the store and started looking around at the wood. You were looking for something stronger than what you had before but it wasn’t much luck. Maybe a deterrent would be good for the perimeter of the fields. You walked over to the aisle you were certain would have something but it was no good. You paid for the wood and loaded it in the back of the truck before heading to the hunting surplus store. 

You browsed the goods, you stood still with a puzzled look on your features as you read the description of many products.   
“What you hunting?” You heard a man say. You turned your head toward him, you had never seen this man before. He was huge, tall and muscled. He had fiery hair in a hairstyle you hadn’t seen in these parts before, he had scars on his arms and parts of his face.  
“U..Uh not really hunting… I..am just… Uh...” Your words wouldn’t come out. You cursed your social anxiety internally as you tried to take in a deep breath. The man before you watched you attempt to calm yourself.  
“It’s alright love, I don’t bite.” He said with a chuckle.   
“Sorry...” You replied, pausing before continuing. “I have uh… anxiety around strangers.. Not that you are strange or anything!” You held your tongue before saying anything else stupid. 

The man let out a small laugh before he answered you. “Name’s Jacob. I live south-west of here.”

“I am (name) I live North-west of here.” You replied politely.

“Now I am not a stranger. Don’t know if that helps. So what you looking for?” Jacob asked.

“I guess … Um, we had a herd of...Deer crash through the fence… I.. I was just uh, looking to see if there is anything to… Deter them in the future?...” You answered, the anxiety not gone yet but it was nice to see someone who didn’t roll their eyes at your “first world” problems as it were.   
Jacob pondered for a moment before reaching over your head and picking up what looked like foil strips in a packet.  
He handed them to you as he explained how they can be used. “So I am just assuming the deer in a panic didn’t see the fence. Reflective strips should work, even in a panic they will see the glimmer of it and hopefully jump the fence or turn away. Deer can jump about eight feet easily. Must have hurt itself crashing into a fence.”

“Probably, something dragged it off thankfully and my sheep were safe. But, thank you. Appreciate it!” You chirped back feeling a little more at ease around him. You left him in the aisle and paid for your goods. You should have headed hoe right away but that little book store you loved was so close. It wasn’t like you were going to use the supply money to buy anything anyway. Just look and see if they have anything you would like to have them put away for you when you get paid.   
You couldn’t resist the temptation and headed straight to the bookstore. The little bell chimed as you walked in and you began browsing the books, you saw the “new in” section and started reading the backs of them, to see if it was what you liked. You reached out to grab a book and stopped when another hand reached for the same one.   
“Sorry” you mumbled, turning to look at the person beside you. Another stranger, this one had short, dark hair, facial hair and tattoos. He looked like the person your aunt was describing earlier. He was pleasant looking too so Joanne was right for once. The man smiled softly.  
“Oh no, I am sorry, here” He said as he got the book out and handed it to you. You smiled to him and read the back of the book, it was what you liked. You looked back to the man who had another book in his hand.  
“D..Did you want this one?” You asked. He looked back over to you and shook his head. “I insist you take it my dear.” He answered.

“Well.. I would but I don’t get paid until the end of the week… So here.” You said, feeling embarrassed about not being able to afford a book and pushed it into him before turning on your heels and exiting the store. You made it back to your truck and sighed in frustration about the whole incident. You unlocked the truck and started to secure the wood with straps so it wouldn’t get lost or damaged on the road. You then opened the door and climbed into the driver’s seat. You jumped in fright when someone knocked the window. It was the man from the book store. You rolled down the window and looked at him with a confused look on your face. The man held the book out to you and smiled sweetly.  
“Here, I bought it but you can borrow it.” He said.  
“Oh… No… I couldn’t-” You began.

“Say yes, you can return it to me on the Seed ranch when you are finished. My address is in there and my number, just so you can let me know you are bringing it by when you are done. I insist. Won’t you please say yes?” He said as he stared into your eyes. 

You smiled and dropped your head down in defeat before looking back to him and taking the book.  
“Yes.” You answered, still with a smile on your face.

“Doesn’t that feel good? To say Yes?” He chimed. You nodded and put the keys in the ignition and the book on the passenger seat.  
“Thank you…. Uh...” You said with the hesitation waiting for him to say his name.

“John. It is my pleasure miss” He replied. You gave him your name and he stepped back so you could reverse out. You waved to him as you left the town and headed back to the ranch.

Once you were out of sight, Joseph walked over to John and brought his lips to his young brother’s ear. “Don’t get ahead of yourself John… These people do not know they need saving yet. Give it time.”


	2. Meeting the Seeds again

Once you got back to the ranch you made a bee line for the field with the broken fence, you had a little trouble holding the fence up and nailing it in place but you managed. You fixed the strips to the outside of the fence, hopefully Jacob was right and nothing else would crash through it. You had finished your chores finally and made your way back to the house.  
Exhausted, you threw yourself down on the couch and sprawled out. Your aunt came into the sitting room and sat on the old fashioned arm chair.

“Get everything you needed in town?” She asked.

You lazily held up your hand and gave her a thumbs up. You sat up slowly to tell her you met the newest additions to the county.   
“Oh, I met the two brothers of that Joseph guy you were talking about earlier!” You exclaimed.

“Oh that’s wonderful! What were they like?” Sally asked. 

“Well there is this ginger guy, he seems like the oldest, he gave me advice on the fence issue and I thanked him of course. Then I popped into the book store just to look and met the tattooed guy, he looked young. Anyway Joanne is right, he is easy on the eyes, the other is too I guess. Anyway he bought a book and let me borrow it. When I finish it he said I can take it to his house, so yeah, he is nice too. Didn’t meet the other guy or girl.” You said, proud of yourself that you socialised with others today. 

Sally seemed delighted that you met the new comers.   
“Oh that is fantastic! But I still need you to take the pie to them this evening if you would, please? Maybe you can meet the other two then and let me know if they are nice too!”

You cringed internally at the idea. Great way to make it look like you are stalking someone. You feigned a smile and nodded. You decided you would go after dinner, at least then everyone would be home, hopefully. The day went on as it usually did, you went to your favourite spot on the ranch, which was under the tree in the cattle field and read the book that John had lent you. As the sun began setting you got the animals back into their barns for the night, safely tucked away from predators and gave them their evening feed before having a shower and settling down for dinner.   
After dinner you helped your aunt clear the table, she then handed you the pie with a smile on her face.  
You took the pie from her and smiled weakly before getting the keys to the truck and hopping in. You drove up the dirt roads until you reached the large mansion like cabin. You got out and slammed the door before reaching in to grab the pie. Behind you, the curtains twitched but by the time you turned around they had stopped.   
You walked up the driveway to the door, mentally preparing yourself for what you were going to say.   
You swallowed your fears and knocked loudly, hoping in a house that large they might have heard you, but another part of you hoped they didn’t.   
The door opened and the man you hadn’t officially met yet stood before you with a smile.

“Hello there. How can I help you?” He said with a tone that sounded almost too friendly. 

“Uh… I live like the next um, ranch over… Sorry...” You stumbled over your words and internally cursed yourself for your social anxiety. Joseph waited patiently.   
“My aunt, she baked this pie...” You held it up as if it was an offering to a god.   
Joseph smiled softly and stepped back.  
“Come in my child, you don’t need to be so nervous, please I insist.” Joseph said opening his arms.

You felt hesitant to enter a stranger’s house but in this county, hospitality was valued. You shyly walked in and Joseph closed the door behind you. The entrance was huge, the place was open plan and on the couches in front of you, you saw John who looked up from his book, he almost looked pleased to see you. Jacob was on the one opposite him, in his hand he had something metal and a cloth. You finally got to see the sister that was mentioned before, she practically skipped over to you in a childish manner. You recoiled slightly as she stopped just in front of you.

“HELLO!” She beamed.

“Hi” You quietly answered.

“My name is Faith, who might you be?” She asked rather abruptly. 

“Uh.. My name is (name).” You replied still with a nervous tone.

Jacob stood up and put his items down on the coffee table before walking over to you.   
“Alright Faith, take it down a notch. The girl is clearly shy.” Jacob said as he stopped beside you both. By now Joseph had joined John on the couch, he had his hand on his younger brother’s shoulder.

You looked to Jacob and smiled weakly. “I… Thank you for earlier. Crossing my fingers my handy work holds the fence up… I uh, brought pie… Well my aunt, she baked it for you guys. She wanted to welcome you to the neighbourhood. Sorry… It probably seems strange.” You said, barely managing to string the sentence along.

Faith took the pie from your hands with a smile, before she got a chance to open her mouth again Joseph spoke to you.  
“Thank you (name). That is very kind of you and your aunt to do that. Will you please let her know that we all appreciate the kindness she and yourself have shown?”

You smiled and nodded. Jacob gestured toward the couch he was sitting on. “Come and take a seat.” He said, almost pushing you toward the couch. You nodded and hesitantly made your way to the couch and sat down, your legs tightly closed and your hands on your lap. You and John made eye contact, you decided to thank him again about the book.  
“John… Thanks again for the book, its pretty good so far!” 

“You’re very welcome. I am always happy to help out a neighbour.” John replied. 

Jacob sat beside you, spreading his legs out a bit and leaning back. Faith jumped up with a smile. “(name) Would you like a drink? We have water, tea, soda and milk.” She asked with that childish giggle after her sentence.

“Yeah, water please.” You answered with a small smile.

Joseph turned his attention to you. “So are you a church girl?” He asked.

“Me? Not … really, but my uncle and aunt go every Sunday without fail... I just do my chores really. Not a believer but I am not one of those closed minded types.” You replied.

While you spoke Jacob was discretely looking you over, from your legs to your face. Faith returned with a glass of water and set it down in front of you before taking her seat beside John.

Joseph smiled to you and continued. “Well that’s a shame. But it’s no problem. Each to their own. I was only asking because I want to join Pastor Jerome’s church, just looking for any information about the church and the services. So you like to read… John is very fond of his books, he is an outstanding lawyer. Jacob used to be in the army. Do you do any work?”

“Just on my uncle’s ranch I guess… He does pay me though.” You said, feeling a little uncomfortable with the questions. 

“Where are your parents?” Faith asked bluntly.

“They live in the Henbane area… I did live with them… But my uncle had an operation on his knee after a horse riding accident… He needed the help so my parents sent me.” You answered still feeling uncomfortable. 

Jacob leaned forward, a bit too close for comfort before asking you a question. “You know any good hunting spots around here?”

“Uh… Y..Yeah, there are signs o..on the side of the roads.” You replied. Something didn’t feel right, you couldn’t tell what it was but it made you uneasy enough to want to go back home. You finished your water and stood up slowly.

“I’m sorry… I got to go… I..I got chores in the morning and I don’t want to oversleep again. Thank you for everything and.. I’m sure we will bump into each other again.” You said, inching your way toward the door. John stood up and walked with you to the front door. He opened the door and placed a hand on your shoulder, his grip was a little tight on you.   
“I hope we didn’t make you feel uncomfortable with all the questions. They just want to know about the area. Thank you for stopping by and please, feel free to do it again some time.” He said as he opened the door fully.

You smiled and nodded as you went through the door and got in your truck. You still had a weird feeling about them, you started up the truck and drove back down the dirt road, homeward bound.   
Once you got back home you were stopped by your aunt who had so many questions.

“So? Were they nice? You were gone for a while? Did you see their décor? Tell me everything?!” Sally asked rapidly.

“Well, they were all nice, just wanted to know where things were. Um Joseph was grateful for the pie and said they all appreciate the kindness we shown or something. Faith is the girl’s name. The place looks rustic... Anyway I am tired, I got to get ready for bed. Got lots to do tomorrow.” you said as you made your way to the stairs.   
You knew Uncle Tom wasn’t home, he was normally in the Spread Eagle in the evenings so you went straight to your room and sat on your bed. You couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that you felt from the newcomers. Something just didn’t add up with them.

The next few weeks went on as normal, occasionally you would bump into one of them in town or pass them as you drove back from your parents. The only new news on them was that John was buying a bit of land around Hope county but he may have just been getting ready to set up a business. Of course some of the folks didn’t like it too much but as long as everything was legal it wasn’t much of a problem.


	3. Connection

You had finally finished that book John had let you borrow. You forgot all about the piece of paper with his number in it. You decided it was time to return the book to him, after all you had done all your chores and it had been at least three months since you had the book in the first place.   
You walked through the house, looking for your aunt and uncle to tell them where you were going but it appeared no one was home. You shrugged and grabbed the keys, locked the house up and set off to the Seed ranch.

You pulled up on the long driveway but the ranch seemed a little more busier than before. There were a few men on the driveway, giving you a cold stare. They were strangers as far as you knew but maybe they were relatives to the Seed family?  
You got out of the truck and right away the few men began approaching you intimidatingly. You backed up against your truck as they grew closer and closer. 

“What do you want?” One grunted at you. He had a weird symbol on his forehead, like a plus or something.   
“I… I just want to r...return a book to John, he told me to bring it back to him when I finished reading it...” You answered, your hands trembling.  
The men looked at one another and nodded, giving you access to the Seed’s house.   
You hurried yourself up the path and to the front door which was open, you were about to knock when you overheard part of a conversation.

“Armory is on the way. Got the books printed.” a man said.

You then heard John’s voice.  
“Excellent. I have bought more land for you to store it. Spread it out though. As soon as we get a foothold in the Whitetail mountains, Jacob can begin training. Faith has found something interesting growing in Henbane so it won’t be long before she goes there. Got some old man contracted to...”  
He stopped mid sentence and two men came out to the door and grabbed you roughly, forcing you inside the house.

You felt like jelly as they hauled you inside, you felt the fear increase even when you saw John fully.  
John looked you up and down, a cold stare on his normally cheery face. He suddenly smiled as sweetly as the day you met him.

“Ah (name), so sorry about that. My friends can be a little rough. How can I help you?” He said with his gentle tone.

You stared at the men nervously as they let go of you and walked away, both had that plus symbol on their head. You looked at John with a worried expression on your gentle features. You were too shaken up to answer him.  
He stepped forward and placed a hand on your shoulder.  
“What’s the matter?… Come on dear you can tell me.” He cooed. 

“I...I just wanted to return the book… I’m s..sorry I interrupted. I will go now. Thanks for letting me borrow it.” You said with a tremble in your voice as you stepped back.  
John’s grip tightened on your shoulder, something was most definitely wrong now, it was no longer a hunch you had.

“I did say for you to call first… But it’s fine. Come, sit, have a drink. I was only telling my friend about my sister’s plans to start a garden. She loves her flowers. She was thinking of being a florist. How are you anyway? We have not spoken to you in a few weeks. You always seem like you are in a rush.” John said as he pulled you lightly toward the couch.  
You were scared for sure and sat down, mentally cursing yourself for not telling anyone where you went. You know what you heard in the beginning but didn’t think of bringing it up. John got you a glass of water and set it down on the table before you.

“I… I am okay thanks. Just been really busy on the ranch, that’s all. Plenty of flowers around. Faith will love it. How… How are you all?” You answered, trying to keep it super casual as you set the book on the table.

“I see. We are doing well thank you. Joseph has made friends with our local pastor so he spends a lot of time with him. Jacob likes to hunt and Faith is taking in the local sights. As for myself, been rather busy. Thinking of setting up a business.” He said calmly. 

“What...Business?” You asked trying to keep conversation.

“Lawyer stuff mostly. Might set up a firm.” He answered.

“Sounds good…” You said, you had nothing else to add.   
There was silence between you two and it felt awkward to say the least. 

One of the scruffy looking men walked in through the front door. “Sir? It’s here.” He said in a rushed tone.

John nodded to the man before turning back to you. “I must apologise, I am rather busy. I hope we can catch up again soon. Have a safe drive home.” He said as he stood up.

You smiled and nodded, getting up and slowly walking toward the door. You couldn’t help but feel confused, only a minute ago he was urging you to hang around. You shrugged it off and made your way back to your truck, spotting a large white truck parked not far from your vehicle. You didn’t want to be manhandled again so made a quick exit in your truck, but you noticed in the rearview mirror that no one was attempting to open the large white truck up, in fact the men were watching you leave.  
You drove back home and went straight to your room and opened up your laptop, you decided to catch up with some old friends from Henbane and sent a group message.

You: “Hey guys, long time no see.”

Lace: “OMG HI! Been forever since we seen you! Thought you forgot about us!”

Dan: “Damn girl! Hows life in flatland?”

You: “I would never forget about you! And Dan, there are hills here! Do you even know what Flatland is?”

Dan: “Isn’t it that theory place or something?”

You: “It’s the theory that if we made 2D life…. It’s hard to explain. I sent you a link on your profile, check it out. So guys how is everything in Henbane?”

Lace: “Well (name), There is that guy that keeps burning shit down all the time but its pretty quiet other than that.”

Linny: “Wow its been forever! You coming back any time soon?”

You: “The Boshaw guy? Damn. Linny! It has been forever! How is your brother?”

Linny: “Mark’s alright. You’re not talking about that Boshaw guy are you? He lit his trailer park on fire!”

Dan: “Wow flatland blew my freaking mind!”

You and your friends continued to exchange small talk and catch up until late. Another two friends joined the conversation, conner and James. You couldn’t help but notice that your aunt and uncle hadn’t come home yet. You got off your bed and peeked through the drapes to see if their car was in the drive.   
Your heart pounded harder than ever as your hairs stood up on the back of your neck. You could have sworn you just saw someone’s silhouette duck into the shadows, you backed away from the window and rushed down the stairs to lock the front and back door. You were trembling where you stood. It was dark downstairs, something told you to check the house for intruders but the fear told you to run to your room and lock your bedroom door. So you did.  
You grabbed your laptop.

You: “Guys I swear I just saw someone outside of my window!”

Linny: “Maybe it was your aunt or uncle?”

Dan: “What?!”

Lace: “Maybe you were seeing things it is dark.”

Conner: “Shoot them”

James: “Maybe it is one of those creepy brothers you were talking about earlier?”

You: “No they aren’t home! I swear it was a man, big one. James don’t say that shit!”

Linny: “Calm down, you are not too far from Fall’s end. It might have been a drunk.”

Dan: “Want me to take my dad’s car? I can be with you in an hour”

James: “Skin walkers”

You: “Never mind… just forget it. James shut up it’s not funny.”

Lace: “Remember that time you thought you saw a vampire biting a woman and drinking her blood? Maybe it’s like that.”

Conner: “Holy shit yeah! Turned out it was just a couple having sex! LMFAO that shit was dope!”

You left the laptop and looked out of the window again, this time with your lights off. You couldn’t see anyone at all. You began thinking logically, maybe it was just a shadow?  
You got back to the laptop and continued talking to your friends until eleven at night. You decided to call it a night and said your goodbyes, shutting the laptop down and turning on the TV in your room. An old creature feature movie was on, that always made you feel better. It was a film from the eighties, a golden oldie. You couldn’t help but wonder where your family was though.  
Eventually you fell asleep with the TV on.


	4. Movie marathon

You woke up startled. Someone was pounding on your bedroom door, you cautiously got out of bed and went to the door, listening silently. Relief washed over you as you heard your Aunt Sally call out on the other side.  
“(name)! Come on wake up, you slept in again!”

You looked at the clock, sure enough it was eleven, you cursed yourself for staying up late and opened the bedroom door.  
Your aunt had a warm smile on her face.   
“Sorry we didn’t come home until late, Tom decided that he wanted to have a session and I ended up reminiscing with Mary may Fairgrave about her old man and you know how it goes. So I made waffles for your late breakfast. I won’t tell your uncle Tom that you slept in. Just be quick today.”

You smiled back, relieved they were okay and because she was once again covering for you.   
“Glad to hear you had a good time, just let me get dressed and I will be right with you.” You replied.  
You went back in your room and got out your work clothes before going downstairs to have breakfast. You then went about your usual chores, you knew your uncle would be too hungover to even bother noticing what time you finished. You couldn’t help feeling uneasy while you were in the fields that faced the forest. It always felt like something or someone was watching you, you tried to shake the feeling off but it wasn’t going away.

Once you had finished your chores it was time for some fun. You changed your clothes after a nice hot shower and grabbed some dinner before heading into the town with the money from last week’s and this week’s chores. Some stores wouldn’t close until about six, and you had two hours to look around. 

Once you pulled up to the town you did the usual routine of locking the truck and trying the handle just to be sure. First thing was first though, the movie store. You had ordered your favourite movie boxset and intended on having a marathon. You were glad the store owner could get it in for you. The scent of tobacco hit you as you walked in, the air was thick with it, the clerk was an old man, always a pipe in his mouth. You made your way to the counter.

“Hi, my name is (name) and I ordered a box set? I got a call to say it was ready to be picked up?” You said cheery as you could be. 

The old man smiled and nodded, blowing a puff of smoke out as he did. He fumbled around under the counter and picked up the box set with your name taped to the side. You paid up and headed over to the general store next. No movie marathon was complete without snacks!   
You filled your basket with your desired snacks and paid for them. You loaded them into the passenger seat of your truck and quickly made your way over to the small clothes shop in town. It was time for some new clothes anyway and you had the cash for it so it was a win-win.  
You picked out some new underwear and you had to admit it was cute! A sexy yet sophisticated top and some general tops you would normally get. You couldn’t resist the leather jacket on display though, it was pricey but it was damn nice… You mulled it over for a while before decided “what the Hell” and grabbed it. By the end of it you had about ten bucks to your name.   
All in all it was a good time, you got some new things and looked forward to your evening.   
You got back to your truck and stared in disbelief… You noticed your front tire had been torn open. You let out a groan before speaking aloud to yourself.  
“No biggie, I will just get the spare from the back...”

You went around the back of your truck and let out a growl of annoyance. The back tire had also been slashed and so had the other front one! Three out of four! You started patting your pockets looking for your cell phone, it was as if life was playing a cruel joke on you. You remembered where the phone was, back home on your dresser. You couldn’t even make a sentence, you were so frustrated you let out a muffled scream as you kept your lips sealed. You booted the truck as if it was the vehicle’s fault and punched the door.

“Bad day pup?” You heard a man say from behind you. You recognised the voice but the last time you heard it was a few weeks ago. You turned around, cheeks flushed from embarrassment as he must have seen your tantrum.   
“J..Jacob!… I.. UGH!” You said as you pointed at your truck.

Jacob took a look at the truck and shook his head. “Looks like you pissed someone off heh.” He said as he assessed the damage.   
You looked at him as if you were a puppy that had been kicked. 

“I don’t even see anyone to piss an asshole off… It’s fine I will just call my uncle… Can I borrow your phone please?” You said in a defeated tone.

“I don’t have one… Sorry hun.” He replied.   
You closed your eyes and let out a sigh.

“I do however, have my own truck. Come on I’ll take you home.” He said with a soft smile.

You didn’t like the idea of it but you were out of options right now. You took your things from your truck and followed Jacob back to his own. You climbed into the front and looked around, the back seat had a few rolls of duct tape, rope, box of new bullets and some short metal poles. It was strange for sure but you didn’t want to bring it up. Jacob got in the truck and started it up.

“Just need to pick up something real quick then I will take you home. It’s not far and I did tell the guy I will be there at six-thirty.” Jacob stated as he put the truck in reverse.

You looked at the clock in the car, it was just coming up to six now, you lived fifteen minutes away… You didn’t like this idea but again you were out of luck right now and he is nice enough to take you home.  
He started the drive, it was pretty quiet until he decided to break the ice.   
“You like hunting?” He asked.

“Not really my thing but I do go with my dad, makes him happy. I prefer fishing. You?” You answered.

“I love hunting, the bigger the prey the better. Fishing is too slow paced for me. I love tracking, the chase and the win. So what do you do for fun?” He asked while keeping his eyes on the road. 

“Oh… Uh, I like to swim in the lakes or rivers, I love reading and drawing… I do enjoy camping with my friends. I like playing on the arcade in town, it’s pretty fun.” When you said it you felt like your answer was boring.

“That’s it? Don’t you have a boyfriend?” He sounded amused at the lack of activities in your life.

“B..Boyfriend? No, never had one. Too busy with chores...” You said with a pout as you put down the window to let some air in.  
It wasn’t that you didn’t like helping your uncle and aunt, it was just that the job was so demanding and you had no intentions of doing it long term, you had hoped to plan a career but instead you were stuck on a ranch, rent free which was great but with pocket money, as if you were a kid. You wanted independence, find an apartment maybe or something.

“They working you too hard ey?” Jacob scoffed.

“They don’t mean to, I just got to help family in their time of need. I would do anything to just have some time off though.” You said with a sigh before continuing.  
“There was a time in my life where I would wake up, have my morning drink, go for a run and take in the beautiful sights around me then carry on with my day. Even when I worked part time in the store I had time for myself.”

“Tricky situation… The weak rely on the strong… The strong feel the need to care for the weak sometimes.” He remarked as he began pulling up to a driveway that led to, what seemed to be a patch of grass. Jacob got out of the truck and rummaged in the back, picking up heavy looking boxes and passing them to a man with that same symbol on his head as the others. You almost didn’t see the one in the back holding what looked like an AK-47, he looked like he meant business.   
You quickly averted your gaze from him, it did look like the man didn’t want to be seen as he was partially covered. You tried to take another sneaky look at the area, there were some open crates with what looked like white books.   
Your eyes soon trailed to Jacob, as he reached down to pick up something you noticed that he had a red pistol in his belt, you never spotted it before. It wasn’t unusual for someone in Hope county to carry, but it just didn’t sit right with you. While Jacob was preoccupied you did a bit of snooping in his glove compartment, there was some usual stuff, mints, ammo etc and a map, on the part that was folded it had a black circle around a location. Curiosity got the better of you and you decided to open it up a little bit. There were black circles around a few locations, one was the st Francis vetrans center, another was the lumber mill. You glanced up in the wing mirror and saw Jacob turning around to return to the truck. In a rush you folded the map quickly and stuffed it back in the glove compartment and closed the opening. You looked back in the mirror and couldn’t see Jacob. You began to worry that he caught you, leaning over to the driver side you wondered if you would see him in the mirror there. As you turned back to your window you almost jumped out of your skin, Jacob was leaning in and was inches away from your face.

“Worried I left you here?” He asked as you tried your best to remain calm and collected once again.

“N..No, just curious...” You replied.

“You know what they say about curiosity?” He asked as he walked around the front of the truck and got in the driver’s side.

“Yeah, It killed the cat… But the rest of it is, but satisfaction brought it back” You said proudly in response.

Jacob let out a chuckle and shook his head.  
“Fair play, I’ll give you that. Anyway, time to get you home.” He said starting the truck up.

“Thanks...” You answered.


	5. Home "sweet" home?

As Jacob drove down the road he looked over to your shopping bags.  
“So what did you end up getting?” He asked trying to make conversation.

“Just snacks, movies and some clothes. Nothing fancy.” You answered before it fell silent once again.

Jacob nodded after you spoke before asking something else.  
“So what are your jobs on the ranch? Except fixing broken fences?”

“I mostly tend to the animals and do whatever my uncle can’t do. He is getting on a bit now and his injury makes things harder for him. I clean the livestock out and feed them twice a day. It is shitty work honestly. Not what I hoped I’d be doing still.” You said with a hint of sadness to your voice. 

“Well, what did you want to be doing?” His eyebrow raised with curiosity.

“A few things really. College was my plan. Not sure what subject yet but it was what I wanted. I always had a fascination with bugs and life in general I guess. Like how things work. Maybe a vet or studying ecosystems… But it looks like that was just a pipe dream. I love my family, don’t get me wrong… I just didn’t want to be stuck in this dead end town as a ranch girl.”  
Your words sounded unintentionally bitter.

Jacob kept his eyes on the road.   
“Sounds like they wrecked your life. An educated girl like you would have gone far… Even without your pretty face. You never know, things around here could change and you might like it when it does.”

You smiled at him. “Thanks.” You said masking the unease you felt from his words.   
He pulled up to your ranch after a short while.

“Well here you are. If you need a lift to town tomorrow let me know. Could change the tires with you and go get them if you want?” Jacob asked.

“Oh, it’s okay, but thank you. My aunt or uncle will drop me off in town and I got Merle Briggs number, he knows what size I need. But thank you for offering. I couldn’t possibly ask you for more help.” You said as you tried to open the door. It felt like the handle was stuck.  
Jacob leaned over you and grabbed the handle hard and yanked it toward him before pushing out and the door opened with a creak.

“For a pretty girl like you, any time” He said with a wink before he leaned back to his seat, his hand slid across your lap lightly as he sat up straight. It sent a shiver through you but you played it cool and grabbed your shopping and climbed down and out of the truck.

“Thank you again. Bye Jacob.” You said, shutting the door of the truck and making your way to your front door.   
You were hoping, praying that Jacob was just being friendly, a gnawing feeling in the pit of your stomach said otherwise.   
You got through your front door and let out an exhausted sigh.

“Oh there you are!” Your aunt Sally cooed, rushing to greet you. 

“Who was that? Was that Jacob? Where is the truck?” She asked rapidly.

Your uncle Tom came out of the room to see what his wife was going on about.

“Sorry guys, something or someone messed up three of the four tires in town while I was shopping. Jacob gave me a lift home. Uncle Tom, I am really sorry about the truck.” You said sorrowfully.

Tom didn’t seem to share his wife’s empathetic or sympathetic ways. He wasn’t grumpy all the time but when he was he always took it out on you it felt.

“What did you do you stupid girl?! Did you leave it in a back alley or something?! Sometimes I curse my brother for sending you down ‘ere! Sleeping in late and makin’ the damn animals wait. Don’t think I don’t notice! And Sally always covers for you! You live ere rent free, eating the food I put on the table and you do bugger all around ere! I ask you to do a few things and you can’t even do that without mucking something up! You are no longer allowed access to the truck and YOU, missy will be paying for those tires alone! Each one is about three weeks of pay!”  
Your uncle ranted on and on to the point you just ended up drowning it out in the end. You were hurt by his words, you let out a huff and stormed up the stairs and to your room, slamming the door behind you.  
You could hear your uncle Tom stomping up the stairs, still yelling about how much of a failure you are, not wanting him to come in and continue, you locked the bedroom door and grabbed your laptop. Luckily you had your headphones in your room so you had the chance to ignore him completely. You put some music on and plugged the headphones into the laptop before opening your group chat with your friends.

You: “UGH, I give up all my dreams to help this asshole and he is bitching at me because some random slashed the tires of the truck while I was in town!”

Linny: “Damn that’s rough. You okay hun?”

Dan: “Never liked the guy!”

Lace: “OMG sorry (name)

Conner: “And that is how I got with Casey!”

Conner: “Oh shit, sorry that sounds shitty.”

You: “He is ranting about me being useless around here!”

Linny: “You work your ass off for him and you get way below min wage!”

Conner: “Without you his ranch would be suffering! Come back home!”

Dan: “Is he drunk by any chance? My dad is a total dickbag when drunk.”

The conversation kept going for some time, your friends mostly believed you should come back home and ditch your uncle and aunt. You felt like doing that, after all, you gave up so much to help them and all you had was shit whenever something went wrong even if it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know how long you could take it. You decided to let the subject drop for now, just to see how you felt in the morning about the whole thing.   
The conversation then shifted to what everyone was getting up to.

James: “Anyone notice the dirty looking hobos lately? Like scruffy bushy bearded guys with a weird tat on their head’s?”

You: “Shit yes! I saw some at the Seed ranch! And today when Jacob Seed brought me home! I swear one had a big ass gun. Not a rifle but a machine gun.”

Dan: “No way! You can’t just walk around with that kind of weapon!”

Conner: “This is America, course you can!”

Linny: “What was he doing?”

You: “I shit you not! He was just hiding in the bushes, same look as James described!”

Linny: “He might be ex military all you know. I know me and Mark will probably see them around at church at some point. You guys are paranoid!”

This conversation went from what you guys have seen recently to gun control issues and politics, it wasn’t something you wanted to get actively involved in so you decided to zone out and browse colleges online.

It started getting late, you took your headphones off and listened around. It seemed like your uncle went out for a drink after all that yelling so you quietly crept out of your room and to the bathroom to relieve yourself. You were still enraged with his words, you couldn’t help your temper, this attitude of his was common after he has a hang over or when he is drunk. You did finally get to watch your films and eat your snacks until early hours in the morning. It took a long time for you to fall asleep after.

You awoke to the sound of birdsong and the cock crowing outside your window as usual. Normally you would rush out of your room to go feed the livestock but today it just wasn’t in you. You rolled back over and fell back asleep. It felt like it was only five more minutes when you heard someone pounding their fists on your bedroom door. Your eyes shot open and you sat up, it was definitely not morning any more. 

“(NAME!) YOU GET YOUR ASS OUTTA HERE NOW!” You heard your uncle bellow.

“TOM, Leave her alone PLEASE! It’s not her fault!” You heard your aunt yell out.

“DAMMIT SALLY, YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH! THE TRUCK I COULD PROBABLY LET GO IF SHE WAS PAYING ME BACK BUT SKIPPING WORK!? HELL NAW! GIRLY GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE NOW!” He continued from behind your door. 

You just didn’t have the morale needed to worry. You made up your mind on the spot. You were leaving this Hell and were going home. You got out of bed and grabbed your suitcases to begin packing. It was mostly clothes and your main hobby items that you packed. You weren’t bothered with anything else. Hell you didn’t really have much else here. Once you were dressed and packed up you unlocked the door, expecting to see Tom looming over you in a fit of rage but to your surprise there was no longer anyone in the hall. You grabbed your things and headed downstairs.

“THERE YOU ARE BRAT!” Your uncle screamed as he come thundering toward you.


	6. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last time you had been saved by Jacob after the truck had been vandalised. Now you are in a confrontation with your uncle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys. Had some problems with mental health. Some childhood trauma shit but I am seeking medical help finally. So I should be able to update regularly again.

Uncle Tom grabbed the back of your neck with a vice like grip, you pulled forward forcing him to let go and turned around to face him.

“FUCK OFF YOU OLD PRICK!” You screamed.

Both Sally and Tom stared at you in disbelief.

“I am fed up of you getting drunk and treating me like some black sheep of this family! I am sorry you are too ill to look after your own ranch but it is YOUR ranch. You pay me a tiny amount to do your chores, I came here to HELP you! I can’t STAND THIS ANY MORE! I gave up dreams of college for this shit!” You continued.

Tom snapped back. “YOU WATCH YOUR DAMN MOUTH SO HELP ME LORD!”

“I am fed up of that too. I don’t care about God’s words or whatever. I don’t give a flying FUCK about any of that! I am going home! Can’t run the ranch yourself? Hire someone else! Or sell the damn place!” You yelled back.

“I put a damn roof over your head, fed yer, treated you like… Royalty. Let you use MY truck! And you become some fucking brat! It’s all that internet I tell yer!” Tom shouted back to you.

You rolled your eyes and grabbed your things again, swinging the front door open and storming out of it. You began walking down the driveway when you heard your Aunt call out to you.

“(Name!) Please! Don’t go! We’re so very sorry! Please come back and have some tea and let’s talk this out!” She called.

“NO! LEAVE! WE DON’T WANT YER HERE! I AINT SORRY! SHE USED US!” Tom yelled from the house.

You teared up as you looked at your aunt. Did she have to deal with him before you got here? It was hard leaving her, she was so sweet to you but you just couldn’t. Not with your uncle yelling whenever something went wrong. You turned your back to her and walked down the driveway and onto the road. You didn’t care if you had to walk back home in Henbane, it was better than being in that damn house any longer than you had to be. You suddenly remembered what Jacob said about helping you. You also shuddered remembering how he winked after and brushed his hand across your lap… It was a difficult decision but you wanted to be far away from here. You grabbed your phone and called the Seed Ranch.

John answered. “Seed ranch this is John Seed.”

“H..Hey John… It’s (name) from next ranch over?” You replied.

“Oh (name)!, what’s the matter? You sound like you’ve been crying? You okay?” He asked sounding concerned.

“Uh, yeah I’m fine… Is… Is Jacob about please?” You asked hoping that it didn’t sound like you had a thing for the hulking red head.

“Sure, he is in the shower or just got out of it. I will get him to the phone now.” John said.

“Oh! Don’t worry then… John?…… You there?….” You wondered if the line got cut off or if he went to get Jacob. Your question was soon answered.

“This is Jacob, What’s up?” Jacob asked casually.

“Hey it’s (name), could I get that lift today please? But could I get it to Henbane? If you’re going that way?” You asked nervously. 

It was silent for a moment, followed by muffled voices but you couldn’t understand what was being said. You waited until Jacob came back to the phone.

“Sure, give me a few minutes. You at your ranch?” He asked.

“Y..yeah near enough I guess. I’ll walk toward yours if it-” You were cut off.

“Nah, it’s okay stay right there. No need to come here. I will collect you off the side of the road soon. Just stay where you are.” He said. 

You said your goodbyes and the line went dead. There was nothing else to do but wait for him now. Sure enough in the matter of ten minutes you saw his truck racing down the road toward you.  
You weren’t sure he was going to stop in time at first but sure enough he stopped right beside you.   
You climbed in the passenger seat after putting your things in the back and smiled to him.

“Th.. Thanks, I didn’t know who else to call…” You began.

“Nah, it’s fine. You sounded upset. Want to share?” He asked as he pulled off. 

“I finally had enough of my uncle’s bullshit and decided it’s time to go home. Not sure if my parents will be pleased or furious though. I hope you aren’t making a special trip just for me.” You said quietly.

“Well, I been meaning to go there anyway, got some things to do there I suppose. Sometimes family can be the bane of our existence… Sometimes I want to strangle John but we can work it out. Not everyone is the same. Guess this means you will be thinking of going to college after all?” He questioned as you were now passing the road to Fall’s end.

“Yeah, maybe. Vet nurse perhaps… or live stock vet or something.” You stared out of the window as you spoke.

“I might be working with animals at some point. Mostly wild ones. Heard Whitetail is best for it.” He added. 

The rest of the drive was mostly small talk. Animals you seen while growing up, fishing and hunting spots and so on. Eventually you were nearing your house, nothing too fancy, standard home in these parts. You directed Jacob to your driveway and he pulled over.

“Well hun, I wish you the best of luck. Don’t be a stranger now.” He said as you once again fought with the door handle. He went to lean over you like last time but you just managed to force the door open.

 

“Thank you again Jacob. When I come back in the area I will be sure to say hi.” You remarked as you closed the door behind you and retrieved your things. Now it was time to face your parents.

Things were heated that’s for sure. Your uncle already spoke to your father who scolded you for leaving an elderly relative with such problems. You argued your case but it fell on deaf ears. Your mother was upset with you too. In fact more than your father. You blurted everything out about how your uncle would tell you that you are a burden and with that your mother was now on the phone with him, screaming down the line at him. You decided to return to your bedroom, it had been so long since you were here and it felt great to be back.   
All your consoles, a HD TV set, your artwork where you left it. It was perfect. 

 

Months had passed since you returned home and you decided to go into college after all these wasted years. You were accepted and had to live on campus but that was fine, a break from your problems here was what you needed. Before going to college you decided to hang out with your friends as much as you could and it was going well. For your last week home you decided you all would go camping overnight in Whitetail mountains. 

Conner drove you, Linny, Lacey and Dan up there, James and Linny’s brother Mark went in Mark’s car.   
Once you got there you could see the others who were in Mark’s car were setting up the site. You and Lace started unpacking the car while Dan and Conner put up the tents. Mark and James were gathering rocks for the camp fire and Linny was making sure the food was all there. Before long the site was set up and it was time to relax as the sun began to set, the fire was crackling nicely and all your worries seemed to fade away as you sat there, watching the marshmallow on your stick brown.

You all had a cold beer, and some campfire foods to enjoy as darkness crept up rather quickly.  
The conversations were in full motion. Dan decided a drinking game would be an excellent pass time.

“So, lets play… Never have I ever! Just so you all know, if you done something you drink, if not you don’t.” He beamed.

You all groaned and decided it could be fun.  
Dan started.

“Okay, never have I ever walked in on my parents doing it!” He shouted. It felt you were all young teens again. 

You, Mark and Lace took a drink, there was laughter all around.   
Conner was next. 

“Okay okay, I have never shoplifted!”  
Dan and James took a drink. You all stared at them in question.

James shrugged. “Whatever, I was ten and it was a candy bar.”  
Dan shook his head. “I took a comic book because my parents wouldn’t get it for me. I was thirteen though!”

The game continued and it was your turn. 

“Uh… I have never been kissed.” You said with a chuckle. Everyone but Linny took a drink. 

Lace was next. “I have never needed rescuing from any situation.”

You took a drink along with a few others. Lace looked at you puzzled for a moment before snapping her fingers and shouting. “OH YEAH the Seed guy rescued you after the truck got fucked! Which one was it again? The cute one or the scary big one or preachy guy?”

“The big scary one.” You replied taking another sip of your drink. Conner was opening a new beer and had a question for you.

“So when you say big scary one… I haven’t really seen him myself. Is he like a body builder guy or something? Total meat head kind of guy?” 

You shook your head. “No way a meat head. He seems smart I guess but he is well built. He could probably knock all of us down without effort. But yeah he is kind of scary, got to admit.”

Dan laughed, “A cockroach could knock James down though!” 

“Fuck you!” James retorted.

Mark raised an eyebrow. “He ever make a move on you (name)?”

Lace called out to him. “Mark! You got to make it part of the game!”

Mark sighed. “Fine. I have never had the big Seed come onto me or try to touch me… Happy now?”

Lace smiled and nodded and you took a drink. They gasped. 

“SPILL IT!” Linny shouted excitedly.

“Nothing to spill guys, the door was stuck and he reached over to open it and his hand glided over my legs as he got back into the driver seat. It’s not liked he groped me or anything!” You answered, getting up to grab another beer. 

James huffed. “You should have punched him for that!”

You sat back down and rolled your eyes before speaking. “Yeah I should have punched the big scary soldier like man for touching me. That would have worked. The man carries heat mun. His buddies carry AK47s.”

They seemed more intrigued now with that. You explained the car ride that you were certain you told them about and they seemed to recall but didn’t think you were serious about it at all. 

Dan seemed to be buzzed from the drink and pulled out a bag of “oregano” and started putting it in a roll up as he started to speak. “The Seed family seem a bit…. Strange if I am honest. They look like they are starting construction in the west of the Holland Valley, Keep buying land too or trying to. A lot of people don’t want to sell up to them. That chick with them, I think she is banging them all.”

He licked the roll up and stuck it in his mouth before lighting it.

You shook your head. “Ew, they are her brothers.” You said in reply.

James laughed as he took the blunt from Dan. “Maybe thats normal where they are from!”

Dan watched as James took a hit from the blunt and smirked. “Nah James, that’s just your family!” 

James passed the blunt on and jumped up and onto Dan.

“Oh yeah!” He said before dangling drool over Dan’s face. This banter was common between these two, they were like brothers in a sense. 

You all heard something snap in the forestry behind you and you all fell silent as your attention was to the darkness behind you.

Linny was trembling. “M..Maybe it was a bear?” She said nervously.

“Or a wolf” Lace whispered. You all kept your eyes trained on the darkness, James even got off Dan and both stood up. James picked up a rock and threw it into the forest as he yelled.

“GET OUT OF HERE!”

Dan put his hand over his mouth. “Shhh, it might be a person!”

You could feel the fear inside as you stared into what looked like a void of the unknown. This spot wasn’t known to have predatory animals. 

You all jumped as a skunk darted out and through the campsite, illuminated by the fire. 

After that you all laughed and relaxed again.

Dan decided to tease you. “I thought it was the soldier Seed guy, coming to get his hands on (name). Maybe this time he would touch your shoulder!” 

You rolled your eyes and laughed it off as you threw an empty can at him.

The rest of the night went as most hang outs would. More drinking games, more chat and bantering until you and the other girls went into one tent and the boys in the other two. The fire was out and it was peaceful in the forest again.

Dan’s words haunted you in a way. You had a slight worry at the time that it was one of the Seed brothers or their friends, watching you all. Eventually you managed to get to sleep.

You were woken up by Lacey, as you opened your eyes she put her finger to her lips and pointed outside. You were confused until you saw the faintest shadow on your tent. It looked like a guy from what you could tell but with the shadows of the trees it was hard to tell who.   
Lace whispered to you.  
“Bet it’s Dan, trying to freak us out. Do we retaliate or ignore him?”

“Best to ignore him. I am still too drunk to go prancing about in the dark. Maybe he needs to piss.” You said as you lay back down.  
Lace gave out a pout and lay herself down in her sleeping bag.

The next morning you all started to emerge from the tents around the same time. You went to pick up your clothes from the porch part of the tent. You all left it unzipped from being intoxicated, You found your jeans but your top was missing. You walked out of the tent with your bra exposed. 

“Alright, which one of you was creeping around our tent last night!” You shouted.

The guys looked at you confused. The accusingly looked at Dan.

“Don’t look at me!” He said groggily. 

Lace piped up. “We saw one of you out here last night!” 

The boys all denied it and they looked genuinely confused. 

“Well who took my top?” You asked.

“Racoon?” Mark answered with another question.

“What and the racoon left my jeans where they were but went under them to get a tee shirt? Seriously guys.” You said in annoyance.

“Um… Guys?” Linny said as she stared at something in the dirt. 

You all went over to investigate. There was a shoe print in the dirt. You raised your eyebrow at the boys again. 

Lace stormed over to their tent and grabbed their shoes and began trying to match it to the print in the ground. After careful detective work by you all you deduced it was none of theirs. Now you were concerned, some creep snuck around last night and stole your tee shirt with your favourite band’s logo on it. Mark went to his car and brought you his spare. You put it on quickly.

“So, maybe a hunter came through and liked the band?” Dan said. You could tell he was unnerved by his voice. 

“Yeah but that means another person was fucking close to where we were sleeping!” Linny exclaimed. 

You tried to think of some other reasons but you guys were at a blank. The cars were left unlocked and nothing else was taken. It didn’t make sense. Eventually your group dropped the subject as you all began making a fire to brew the usual morning coffee. By noon you were all loading the cars and getting ready to go back home to sleep off the foggy feeling from the night before.


	7. Education

It was time to go and start a new chapter in your life, getting higher education was what you had wanted all along and finally you were going ahead with it.   
The campus was better than you expected and the work was hard. You found a part time job to help with fees and managed to take a week off here and there to go home and visit family. It was pretty uneventful during these visits. You caught up with friends too but not much was going on with them, the same old. Except Dan now got off his ass and got a job at a gas station and Conner went on to be a mechanic apprentice. Mark and Linny were still living together, Lace fell in love and James was James, talks the talk but didn’t walk the walk.   
Each visit was similar to the last. Lace ended up getting married a year after falling in love, Mark had his own place and James got a job in a general store. Nothing else had changed really, the guys saw less of one another but it was expected.   
It was coming up to the end of your education in veterinarian school. Five years had passed now and you decided to take a break and visit home for few weeks. You quit your job and said goodbye to the people you made friends with in school. Once home you would then sign up to start the next part of your education but at least you could get some more work experience in with the animals back home. 

You drove your old banger of a car into Hope county, excited to show off your new diploma. However it seemed like things had changed. There were strange men with that weird symbol on their head’s at every corner. They seemed to be armed too and rather open about it. You shrugged it off and kept driving, things definitely seemed off, there was a structure being built on one of the higher mountains, you couldn’t tell what it was but you didn’t like it already. The armed men gave you a deathly cold stare as you continued to make your way home. 

You pulled up at your driveway and unloaded your things from the car and pushed open the front door. It was a bit quiet inside, no matter you went straight to your room and dumped your things on the floor before searching for your parents. They knew you would be coming home today, so you couldn’t figure out why they were not around.   
Last place to look was your dining room, as you pushed the door open you almost had a heart attack.

 **”SURPRISE!”**

You saw all your friends and parents standing under a home made banner that read “Welcome home! And Congrats!”  
It almost brought you to tears, a large smile spread across your face as everyone moved in for a group hug. On the dining table was snacks and a cake with a crudely drawn dog, bandages on it’s head and paw while wearing a graduation cap all done in icing. It was inspiring to see how much everyone supported you.   
Only thing missing was beers.

“Thanks everyone! I love it!” You exclaimed in joy. 

James handed you a plastic cup with cola in it.   
“Would have brought beer but they outlawed it now.” He said as if it was a normal thing to say.

“What? No beers? Who outlawed it?” You asked in surprise.

Your mother began serving food up as your father went to the kitchen for some cutlery. Lace and her husband came up to you. She wasn’t as happy as she used to be.

“(Name), this place has changed. Joseph Seed has banned alcohol.” She said with a hint of sadness.

Conner chirped in. “Yeah, they started buying up the place, some places, they took by force when the land owner refused to sell. It’s almost impossible to stop them, their guys are armed to the teeth!” 

You were at a loss for words.

Dan, normally he was a prankster, always up for a laugh but he seemed so gloomy as he spoke next.

“He somehow got loads of people we grew up with and knew since we were in diapers to just follow him. Like loads of people from Jerome’s church up and left him in favour for Joseph Seed. He got a compound on the Island north from Where Dutch lives. They got fallout bunkers built in the mountains. It’s been weird.”

Lace added more.   
“The big ginger soldier man? Yeah he went off North, it’s like his own territory. Faith, well she started making something called Bliss. It makes you… Not you. There are people so drugged up they are like zombies. Even some animals are affected.”

You were dumbfounded. Last you heard of these people, they were setting up a law firm or so you thought.

Your father walked in with the cutlery. “We didn’t tell you hun, well because we didn’t want you dropping out of college or anything. We didn’t want to worry you.”

You shook your head. “Well… I wish you guys told me sooner. What about the authorities?”

Your father answered. “Tried talking to ‘em a few times. You don’t get much sense out of that lady. Don’t see no cops or nothin’ these days. Joseph Seed… He is the law now it seems. Some of the houses have the words “sinner” on them and the people… Well terrified. We aint done anything to upset them. Your mother and I stopped going to church about a year now. The Peggies are always there.”

“Peggies?” You asked confused about what a Peggie was. 

“Project Eden’s gate.” Mark answered. 

“Yeah it’s what they call themselves.” Lace said.

You shook your head, still lost for words. After a lot of catching up and eating, people started going home, especially before it got dark. It seemed really odd that your friends were now scared to be out. You spent the rest of the evening unpacking and putting washing in the machine ready to wash tomorrow before collapsing to your bed. It had been a Hell of a day, still…. What the fuck was going on in Hope county.

You awoke to the sound of the house phone ringing, it had been quite a while since you last heard that and it brought a feeling of warmth. You got yourself up and showered before getting dressed and heading down to your family.   
You lingered by the door, listening to your parents talk. 

“Booting out the camp staff… It doesn’t make sense. What could they need from there? So many of us sent our kids to Sacred skies youth camp…” You heard your mother say.

“Only last week it was Lorna’s truck stop, who knows what is next for them. We need to protect our own I tell you. Hun, I never ever thought I’d be the man that slept with a gun under the pillowt here we are. Lord help us all.” Your father said with a sigh. 

Before they could say another word you opened the door pretending you didn’t hear any of it. 

You all exchanged greetings and you sat on the recliner and leaned back. 

“You guys mind if I go see the guys today?” You asked.   
Your parents exchanged worried looks before giving you the approval you desired. You stayed with them for breakfast before heading off in your beat up car to find out what was really happening in this county.  
You drove up to the gas station Dan worked at to fill up. You got out of the car and immediately felt nervous, on the side of the gas station you spotted these so called “peggies” loitering around a pick up truck. They were armed to the teeth, you looked away when one of them caught your gaze and headed inside the station where Dan was behind the counter looking unnerved. 

“(Name!), You chose a bad time to come here. The Peggies they been out there for a fucking hour now. What are they up to?” He said as he watched the security cameras intently.

“Dan? Come on man, calm down. Maybe they are waiting for someone?… You alone?”   
You asked as you stared at the “wanted” poster a sheriff put up.

“Nah, one of my guys went our back to get stock. (name), just get what you need and get the fuck away from here.” He said as he looked at the monitor. 

You wanted to stay and question him further but for once he wasn’t joking around, he was terrified, you knew you had to go. You got your fuel and left after paying. As you were driving down the road you saw your “check engine” light come on. You let out a groan of frustration but you weren’t too worried, you could take it to Conner where he works now and have it sorted. It was only a few miles North. 

On the drive you saw more of these Peggies on corners with their large guns just waiting. Halfway through the journey your car began spluttering and jerking up the hill.

“No no no, come on baby, a little bit more. Don’t leave me stranded now. Come on..” You said as you tried to bring life back into the mechanical beast but no avail.   
You got out of the car and shut the door with a sigh. You walked across the road, phone in hand to find a signal, as you were glued to the screen you heard something come roaring toward you, you stared like a deer in headlights at a white pick up truck that was speeding toward you. Before you could register what was happening you felt something collide into your left side and slam you into the ditch beside the road.   
You kept your eyes screwed shut as the sound of heavy gunfire erupted from the road followed by an explosion. It soon went all quiet with the exception of the crackling sound of flames.

You opened your eyes to see a man with some facial hair and a baseball cap hovering over you. You instantly recognised the man as the “Boshaw” man from the wanted poster. You remember seeing the sentence “Dangerous, do not approach” Under his name. Panic set in and the colour drained from your face. The man known as “Sharky Boshaw” saw the panic and put a hand over your mouth as he shook his head.

“No no, don’t worry I aint one of them broseph followers! Chill out little lady! I aint the bad guy. I saw you about to become vulture chow and hell you’re too pretty fo that shit. I am going to move my hand now okay? Don’t scream or the angels will hear you okay?” He said and he slowly moved his hand from your mouth.

You raised your knee up quickly and it collided with Sharky’s testicles. He collapsed on you and rolled to the side holding himself as he yelled out.   
“OH YOU GOT ME IN MY JEWELS OOOOH!”

You rolled yourself away from him and scrambled up and out of the ditch. You gasped as you saw your car engulfed in smoke and flames, that was the explosion…   
Behind you Sharky was climbing out of the ditch but you were focusing on some slow walking person on the road. They were dressed in all white and bald, the person stopped and stared at you. You watched, frozen in fear as the person let out an animalistic screech and ran toward you in unnatural movement. 

“ZOMBIEEE!” Sharky yelled as he shoved you off to the side, in his hand was a flamethrower. You hit the floor and watched as he blasted out intense flames from his weapon, the person screamed but kept coming being swallowed in flames shortly after and suddenly dropping to the floor motionless.

You put your hand over your mouth in horror and crawled backwards away from the fire wielding maniac who seemed to see this murder as a reason to celebrate. No wonder it said “do not approach” on the poster. Sharky turned back to you and walked over, you put your hands up in surrender as you felt tears prick your eyes.

“Please no! Don’t! I won’t tell anyone I swear!” You begged as the man grew closer. 

“Huh? You think I’m the bad guy? Little lady I just saved you twice! You been living under a rock or something?” He said as he extended a hand out to you and switched his flamethrower off. You shakily took his hand as you felt you had no other option. He pulled you to your feet, seeing the fear in your eyes. 

“Now look here girly, Don’t be hitting my nuts no more okay? I will give you the deets but first we need to get off the road. There will be more of them. Trust me okay, they are far worse than me… Lets go, uh that way!” Sharky said pointing at a dirt road which you knew led to a trailer park. 

You followed him up into the trailer park where he led you inside on of the trailers. It was full of posters of half naked women, pornographic images and cars with the occasional disco poster.   
He cleared some porno magazines off the couch and sat you down on it before he sat down opposite you on what looked like dirty laundry on top of an old beat up arm chair.  
You said nothing as you watched him drop the flame thrower but you saw the gun in his belt.

“So, right, where do I start… Uh so you know about Broseph Seed right? Well he is this nutjob who said he talks to God and he let his brothers and Faith take over regions okay? John right, he got Holland valley, he is fucking insane. Jacob, well the mountain man took over the Whitetail mountains and Faith has Henbane okay? Broseph’s got his own island. So the peggies came and told me to join them right but they got rules, lame ass rules. No fuckin’ or beer so me I was like, No way! And now they are out to get me. The baldy you saw me fry up was what they call “angels” these guys are so drugged up they just act like zombies and attack whoever aint the peggies. They aint people no more and the guys who blew your ride up? Yeah peggies. The cops turned tail long ago and now its like, you are either a peggie or you are a criminal. It’s fucking stupid.” Sharky said hardly taking a breath in between words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been too long since I managed to update. My laptop decided to be a jerk and die so I had to have my shit recovered and it took forever to get it done.


	8. Inferno

You didn’t say a thing as Sharky explained himself to you, it was unbelievable but with everything going on it was hard not to believe him. 

“O..Okay...” You replied unsure what else to say to him about it. 

“So miss, where were ya headin’?” He asked.

“To my friend, he is a mechanic. I was hoping he could fix my car or find out what was wrong with it… My name is (name)” You answered.

“Welp, I reckon your car has a few things wrong with it, the first being char grilled... I don’t think he can unexplode your car. Anywhere else?” He asked again.

“I think… I want to go home...” You said flatly. 

“Sure thing, I got a jeep, I’ll take you home so long as you don’t mind my tunes.” He said with a smile as he stood up.

You nodded and got up too and he led you out of his trainer, to a dark coloured jeep with a gun mounted on the back. At this point it didn’t surprise you.  
You climbed in the back as he got in the drivers seat.  
Last time you accepted a ride from someone in Hope county it was Jacob himself, how the hell did it even get to this?  
You directed Sharky to your house, his driving was terrifying to say the least but he got you home in one piece. As he pulled up you saw your parents rush out the front door and sigh in relief upon seeing you.   
You got out of the jeep and ran to them embracing them in a tight hug.  
Sharky tipped his hat to your father and reversed out of the driveway. You father tipped your head up, seeing scratches and dirt on your face, where Sharky had knocked you into the ditch. 

“Dad! What the Hell is going on? A criminal just saved me!” You exclaimed before looking to your mother. Her face was pale and there was a haunting look in her eyes.  
“Mom?” You said as she stayed where she was with that look on her face. 

“Let’s go inside…” Your father said with a face full of grief and sorrow.  
You followed them inside.

“Daniel… Dan… He...” You father stuttered, unable to get what he wanted to say out.

“What about him? Is he okay!?” You blurted out, remembering the peggies outside the gas station earlier.

“He… He is dead (name). Those Peggies… They burnt down the gas station with Dan and the other young man inside... I’m so sorry darlin’.” You father continued. 

The words sent a chill down your spine, you knew which ones it was, you saw them loitering. Did Dan know they were going to kill him? Why didn’t he run with you? Your breath was caught in your throat and the tears flowed freely. Your parents wrapped their arms around you and hugged you tightly as all three of you sobbed into one another. It explained their worried look as you pulled up. You wondered why they didn’t just call you… Then it dawned on you! You dropped your phone when Sharky tackled you down! You never picked it back up! You felt like an idiot for not realising sooner.

“W..What about Aunt Sally and... Uncle Tom? Are they okay?” You said between sobs. The last you saw of them was when you walked out of their home all those years ago. Their ranch was closest to the Seed ranch. 

“We haven’t been able to reach them dear.” You mother replied as your father stayed silent. 

You snapped out of your sorrows and stood up. “I’m going to check on them!” You said fiercely.

“Then I will come with you!” Your father said in his bravest voice. 

“No!” You shouted. Before continuing. “You need to stay here and protect mom! And our home! Didn’t our neighbours have that bunker they were working on last time I was here?”

“Yes but-” Your father began but you interrupted him.

“I will be fine, I will take the quad bike, stay off main roads. I have to check on them. Just stay here or in the bunker.” You said boldly. 

Your father got up and went upstairs leaving you and your mother in silence for a few minutes before returning with a magnum revolver and a box of bullets.

“Now you are going to want to carry if you are going back out there. I will show you how to reload it.” He said as he placed the side arm on the table.

“Wait, what? You want me to shoot someone?” You asked in shock.

“If you have to hun. So if you move this out like so, the safety is off okay?” He said as he showed you how to turn off the safety and proceeded to show you the rest you needed to know. “So to reload it you open this up, drop the duds and put six new bullets in then shut it back in and spin it. It is now live. Safety on for now but as soon as you leave the door it goes off. Trigger discipline. Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you intend on pulling it. Keep your finger along the side until ready to fire, there is kick back on this so beware of that. Keep the bullets in your pocket.”

You watched intently before shaking your head. “What about you and mom?” 

Your father left and went into a locked cabinet, returning with a shotgun and a rifle.   
You nodded seeing the large guns in his hand, they had protection at least.   
You got some supplies, helmet and the keys to the quad along with a fuel can. It had been a while since you used it, Christmas in fact.   
The bike purred to life and you revved it. You switched Safety off on the gun and tucked it in a holster your father gave you.   
The helmet was on and it was time to go. You sped off and true to your word you took the side roads, zipping along, hopefully undetected. That is until you had to go over the bridge, you already spotted the patrol on the entrance of the bridge. You picked up a rock and turned the engine of the bike off, letting it free roll down the hill silently, you hurled the rock over to the right and right away the Peggies turned their heads and guns to the right, you bump started the bike and hit the accelerator hard whizzing past the men on the bridge, they took a few badly aimed shots at you but now you had to deal with the assholes on the other side, it looked like a road block but luckily you had an off road vehicle. You skilfully went around the road block, catching the men off guard and you went along the roads as fast as you could, taking the most direct route you could to your uncle and aunt’s ranch. You were going down the main roads toward Fall’s end when you noticed someone racing after you in a white van, they were trying to catch up but you had the faster vehicle, you turned off road again and through the fields to avoid the van and it seemed to work, of course you broke through many fences and swerved to avoid the cattle.

Soon enough you were on the ranch where you worked gruelling hours for an ungrateful uncle, you went straight through the fence you had once repaired. The reflective strips had faded but you made it to the barn and jumped off the bike. You raced over to the house and saw the door wide open and the word “SINNER” spray painted across the house. You went inside to see the place ransacked, tables flipped over and papers strewn across the rooms along with other objects. The food was gone from the cupboards and fridges, it dawned on you, you hadn’t seen any of the animals you used to tend to on the ranch even in the barn.   
You started looking through the papers to see if there was a clue to where they had gone.  
Bills, more bills, newsletters from subscriptions, then you saw the infamous cross you saw on the peggie’s foreheads. You read the letter.

“Homeowners,

You have been selected by Project Eden’s Gate to supply our cause. Your ranch has been successful for many years and you have profited long enough. It is time to serve a more noble cause. Once a week you are to hand over produce. We will come to you.”

You found another through the mess.

“We have blocked your trade routes. We have accepted this as your offering to our cause.  
Do not let your greed get the better of you. Come Monday there will be a truck on your driveway. Load it with our supplies. Do not fail us again.”

Another letter.

“Here hangs a sinner who, like yourselves, decided to fight the project instead of embracing it.  
We have been nothing but fair to you as requested by our Baptist, John Seed. However he has lost his patience with you people.   
If we do not have a truck full of supplies come Monday, we will take the supplies ourselves and you will become an example to the people of Hope County.”

That was the last letter to your Uncle and Aunt. You put your hand over your mouth and looked around. There were no empty shells in or around the house, so it was clear nobody was shot. You wiped the tears away and got back on your quad bike, you were determined to confront John Seed over this. You sped off toward the Seed ranch but soon regretted your decision, the place was heavily guarded and you were shot at on sight, you caught the glare of a laser beam and immediately turned the bike hard, almost sending you barrelling over a slight hill as a bullet wooshed past your head. You did a one-eighty and headed North to avoid a firefight you know you would lose. You had to head home, you had to tell your parents. Sharky was right, he wasn’t the criminal. Come to think of it, where the Hell were the law enforcement?   
You made it back home avoiding multiple shots, miraculously.  
You had told your parents about what you saw and comforted them as much as you could, ultimately your parents were glad you survived your mission.  
Just after dinner, the telephone rang and you answered it. Lacey.

“(name)! Have you heard? Dan!” She cried on the other end of the line.

“I know… I wanted to call you guys but-” You were interrupted.

“We couldn’t get through to you, your phone was ringing but it has gone to voicemail. What happened?!” She continued to cry.

“Peggies… They blew up my car and Sharky Boshaw saved my life. I must have dropped it when he pushed me out of the way. Look, get the guys and we will meet up somewhere. I just found out that these… Peggies...They have taken my aunt and uncle too. They refused to supply the cult with food it seems.” You answered. 

“I’ll get the guys and we will come to you. James wants blood. He is fired up. I’ll see you soon.” She said and hung up the phone. 

You told your parents what was happening and they seemed more worried about James honestly. He was like a brother to Dan despite their insult based relationship.   
A few hours passed and sure enough the gang was all there except Linny. Mark was anxious as she was not returning his calls.   
You all shared your fond memories of Dan and cried together. Mark accidentally sat on the remote and the TV turned on. On screen was a young woman, preaching about how “great” the “father” was. 

Conner let out a grunt after her broadcast finished. “Stupid bitch… I hate Faith so much.”

You looked at him in confusion. “That’s not Faith...” You said remembering what Faith looked like.

They all looked at you in surprise. Lace was first to piece it together.

“This is new Faith, she came in about a year and a half ago… Not sure what happened to the old one.” She said.

“New Faith? I met Faith though? You can’t just replace a person with a completely new one and expect people to ignore it right?” You said still in confusion.

James spoke through closed teeth. “This one did. None of the peggies even noticed. Joseph replaced Faith because she isn’t blood. A girl called Tracy reckons this Faith is from here. I know she is in charge of this region and so it is HER fault Dan is dead.”

James stood up in anger and Conner got in front of him, Mark and Lacey joined him and finally so did you. You were all trying to calm him back down and keep him in the house so he doesn’t do anything stupid. 

Your parents decided to tell all your friends to stay over for the night. It was worse to go out after dark with these peggies around, more so with the Angels.   
Sleep did not come easy to any of you. You lay on your bed but the thoughts of Dan dying in a fiery blaze haunted you. Not knowing what happened to your uncle and aunt also haunted you. The slightest noise made you jump, your thoughts then drifted back to your car. If you just chose to stay in the car you would have been blown up too.


End file.
